Tricycle



(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. CARTER. TRIGYGLL No. 450,001. Patented Apr.-'7', 1891.

; ,Saml]? Tamer: James Garter;

- 33 I womm 2 SheetsSheet 2.

(No Model.)

J. CARTER. TRIGYGLE.

No. 450,001. Patented Apr. 7 ,1891;

8mm Jame; flax-5e72- 3511 abbom 0 llmuii iii wi/bmaooeo Yam Z28. Turn 6 r.

isjournaled the fork B,

Y within convenient reach of the rider.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES. CARTER, OF EUREKA, OHIO.

TRICYCLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,001, dated April '7, 1891.

Application filed May 8, 1890.

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that 1, JAMES CARTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Eureka, in the county of Gallia and State of Ohio,have invented certain 'new and useful Improvements in Tricyles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to road-vehicles which are especially designed to be propelled by the weight of the rider, and has for its object to provide a simple, compact, and efficient device by which the power will be transmitted to the driving-wheels in the best possible manner and with the least loss of force.

' The improvement consists in the novel features and peculiar construction and combination of the parts, which hereinafter will be more fully described and claimed, and which are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view, parts beingbroken away, of the vehicle. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the invention. Fig. i is a section on the line X X of Fig. 3, showing the operation by dotted lines. Fig. 5 is a detail top plan and side view of one of the pawl-carrying levers.

The frame comprises the side bars A, the end bar a, and the converging end a, in which in which is journaled the steering-wheel b. This fork is provided at its upper end with the bar Z7, from the ends of which extend the rods b forward The wheels O are journaled loosely on the axle c, and are provided on their inner sides with disks or rims D, which are in engagement with the driving-wheels E, that are keyed on the ends of the shaft 6, which is journaled in standard a projecting upward from the side bars A. The ratchet-wheel F, which is keyed on the shaft 6, is operated on by the two sets of pawl-carrying levers G G, which 'have their inner ends loosely connected with the said shaft 1), and which are forked and straddled on said ratchet-wheel. The pawls g g are pivoted between the members of the forked levers G G and are held in engagement with Serial No. 351,004. (No model) the said ratchet-wheel by the springs it h,

which are secured to the closed ends of the said levers G G, which extend in diametrical manner: The forked lever G is connected with the rear ends of the seat 11 by the rod 2'', and the forked lever G is connected with the front end of the said seat-hart by the hanger "L rod i and the link 0 said rod 11 being connected midwayof its ends with the standard a by the pivot i which passes through said standard a and an arm a, which projects up from the rod By this construct-ion it will be seen that the said levers G and G move in unison in opposite direction, so that only one is in active position at a time.

The seatl is provided with a depending legsection J, which is adapted to rock on the cross-barj, extending between the sidebars A.

The driving-wheels E may be keyed with the disks or rims D in any suitable manner, the-frictional contact shown being the preferable form, in that it will permit a slipping of the one on the other in abnormal strain.

The operation of the invention is as follows: The rider, sitting on the seat I, rocks the same to and fro by means of the connection hereinbefore specified, between the ends of the seat-bars and the pawl-carrying levers, rocks the same on the shaft 6, and turns the said shaft 6 and the driving-wheels E thereon, which wheels E impart their motion to the wheel 0 through the rims or disks D and propel the vehicle.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patcut, is"

1. In a vehicle propelled by manual power, the combination, with the shaft 6, geared with the supporting-wheels of the vehicle and having the ratchet-wheel F keyed thereon, and the swinging seat having bar 2', of the independent levers G and G, mounted on shaft e and having pawls g and g, which engage with the ratchet-wheel F, the rod 1 connecting the rear end of bar i with the lever G, the lever i pivoted to swing bodily in the arc of a circle, the rod 11 connecting one end of leverz' with the lever G, and the rod ti-connecting the other end of the lever 2' with the front end of the bar 1', substantially as set forth.

2. In a vehicle propelled by manual power the combination of the wheels 0, having rims D, the shaft e, having drive-wheels E E, which are in engagement with the rims D, the ratchet-wheel F on the shaft 6, the oppositelyacting levers G and G, mounted on the shaft e and having pawls g and g, respectively, which are in engagement with the ratchetwheel F, the swinging seat having bar ii, the rod t", connecting the rear end of bar i with the lever G, the lever i having arms midway of its ends by which it is pivotally sup- JAMES CARTER. Witnesses:

M. THOMAS, G. \V. l\[ARTINDILL. 

